1720 in Great Britain
Encyclopedia
.svg.png) 1720 in Great Britain: |
| Other years |
| 1718 1718 in Great Britain Events from the year 1718 in Great Britain.-Events:* 7 January - Occasional Conformity Act repealed.* 15 May - James Puckle patents the Puckle Gun, an early form of machine gun.... | 1719 1719 in Great Britain Events from the year 1719 in Great Britain.-Events:* April - Bank rate set at 5%, at which it will remain for more than a century.* 28 April - A Peerage Bill, proposed by Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, to prevent the creation of peers in the House of Lords is defeated in the House of... | 1720 | 1721 1721 in Great Britain Events from the year 1721 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - George I of Great Britain*Prime Minister - Robert Walpole, Whig-Events:... | 1722 1722 in Great Britain Events from the year 1722 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - George I of Great Britain*Prime Minister - Robert Walpole, Whig-Events:... |
| Sport |
| 1720 English cricket season |
Events from the year 1720 in Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
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Events
- 17 February - Treaty of Den Haag signed between Britain, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the Dutch RepublicDutch RepublicThe Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
and SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
ending the War of the Quadruple AllianceWar of the Quadruple AllianceThe War of the Quadruple Alliance was a result of the ambitions of King Philip V of Spain, his wife, Elisabeth Farnese, and his chief minister Giulio Alberoni to retake territories in Italy and to claim the French throne. It saw the defeat of Spain by an alliance of Britain, France, Austria , and...
. - April–September - "South Sea Bubble", the South Sea Company collapses.
- 15 April - Ralph AllenRalph AllenRalph Allen was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, and was notable for his reforms to the British postal system. He was baptised at St Columb Major, Cornwall on 24 July 1693. As a teenager he worked at the Post Office. He moved in 1710 to Bath, where he became a post office clerk, and at the age...
of Bath appointed to farm Cross and Bye Posts (i.e. mailMailMail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
not going via London), leading to his reform of the system. - 16 November - Pirate Calico JackCalico JackJohn Rackham , commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas during the early 18th century...
is brought to trial at St. Jago de la Vega in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. - 29 December - Haymarket TheatreHaymarket TheatreThe Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...
opens in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
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Births
- 13 January - Richard Hurd, bishop and writer (died 18081808 in the United KingdomEvents from the year 1808 in the United Kingdom.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Duke of Portland, Tory-Events:* 1 January - Sierra Leone becomes a British Crown Colony....
) - 27 January - Samuel FooteSamuel FooteSamuel Foote was a British dramatist, actor and theatre manager from Cornwall.-Early life:Born into a well-to-do family, Foote was baptized in Truro, Cornwall on 27 January 1720. His father, John Foote, held several public positions, including mayor of Truro, Member of Parliament representing...
, dramatist and actor (died 17771777 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1777 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - Lord North, Tory-Events:* 3 January - American Revolution: American general George Washington defeats British general Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.* 18 May - First performance of...
) - 9 March - Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of HardwickePhilip Yorke, 2nd Earl of HardwickePhilip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke FRS , and eldest son of the 1st earl, was educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.In 1741 he became a fellow of the Royal Society...
, politician (died 17901790 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1790 in the Kingdom of Great Britain. This is a General Election year.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - 18 July - Gilbert WhiteGilbert WhiteGilbert White FRS was a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist.-Life:White was born in his grandfather's vicarage at Selborne in Hampshire. He was educated at the Holy Ghost School and by a private tutor in Basingstoke before going to Oriel College, Oxford...
, naturalist and cleric (died 17931793 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1793 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - 18 August - Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl FerrersLaurence Shirley, 4th Earl FerrersLaurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers was the last member of the House of Lords hanged in England.The 4th Earl Ferrers, descendant of an ancient and noble family, was the eldest son of Hon. Laurence Ferrers, himself a younger son of the Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers-a descendant of Robert...
, murderer (died 17601760 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1760 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - George II , George III*Prime Minister - Duke of Newcastle, Whig-Events:...
) - 30 August - Samuel WhitbreadSamuel Whitbread (brewer)Samuel Whitbread was an English brewer and Member of Parliament. In 1742, he established a brewery that in 1799 became Whitbread & Co Ltd.-Biography:...
, brewer and politician (died 17961796 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1796 in Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
) - 31 December - Charles Edward StuartCharles Edward StuartPrince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
, pretender to the British throne (died 17881788 in Great BritainEvents from the year 1788 in the Kingdom of Great Britain.-Incumbents:*Monarch - King George III*Prime Minister - William Pitt the Younger, Tory-Events:...
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Deaths
- 31 January - Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of StamfordThomas Grey, 2nd Earl of StamfordThomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford PC was a British peer and politician.He was the only son of Thomas, Lord Grey of Groby, and inherited his title from his grandfather....
, privy councillor (born c.16451645 in EnglandEvents from the year 1645 in the Kingdom of England.-Events:* January - A group of ministers appointed by the Long Parliament draws up the Directory of Public Worship which replaces the Book of Common Prayer...
) - 20 April - George Gordon, 1st Earl of AberdeenGeorge Gordon, 1st Earl of AberdeenGeorge Gordon, 1st Earl of Aberdeen , Lord Chancellor of Scotland, was the second son of Sir John Gordon, 1st Baronet, of Haddo, Aberdeenshire, ; by his wife, Mary Forbes.-Education:...
, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (born 1637) - 5 August - Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, English poet (born 16611661 in EnglandEvents from the year 1661 which occurred in the Kingdom of England.-Events:* 6 January - The Fifth Monarchists unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London...
) - 9 August - Simon OckleySimon OckleySimon Ockley was a British Orientalist.-Biography:Ockley was born at Exeter. He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge, and graduated B.A. in 1697, MA. in 1701, and B.D. in 1710. He became fellow of Jesus College and vicar of Swavesey, and in 1711 was chosen Adams Professor of Arabic in the...
, orientalist (born 16781678 in EnglandEvents from the year 1678 in the Kingdom of England.-Events:* 31 May - The Godiva Procession, a commemoration held in honour of Lady Godiva's legendary naked ride on horseback through the streets of Coventry in protest against her husband's treatment of the citizens, begins.* 6 September - Titus...
) - 18 August - Matthew Aylmer, 1st Baron AylmerMatthew Aylmer, 1st Baron AylmerMatthew Aylmer, 1st Baron Aylmer was an Irish Admiral of the Royal Navy.Lord Aylmer, Admiral and Commander-in-Chief, was the second son of Sir Christopher Aylmer of Balrath, County Meath, and entered the Royal Navy under the protection of the Duke of Buckingham, as a Lieutenant, in 1678...
, admiral (born c. 1650) - 17 November - Calico JackCalico JackJohn Rackham , commonly known as Calico Jack, was an English pirate captain operating in the Bahamas during the early 18th century...
, pirate (year of birth unknown)